Horoscopes, July 24–30, 2011

Ruled by the Sun, the Father Principle in the zodiac, Leo ladies are prime movers, the Queen of (fill in the blank). Julia Child. Lucille Ball. Chanel. Madonna. Being the highest-paid Latina actress and top-selling Spanish-language recording artist might be too niche for J. Lo. Just as the archetypal cat-eyed Cleopatra (meaning: father-loved) wouldn’t be lorded over by her Marc Antony, Lopez ditching hers will likely coincide with increased world domination. From home girl to household name, Lopez hasn’t even begun to rule.

ARIESHitting your stride, you personify progressive ideals without seeming like a free radical. You gain momentum and support for out-of-the-box ideas, winning over traditionalists who may pony up some cash to help you realize visions. Venus and Mars start the week unaspected, that is to say, making no connections to other planets. This both piques others’ interest in you, romantically and professionally, and allows you to soft-pedal hard sells. You can go in for the kill with a bold career move, having it seem a subtle and elegant maneuver. The New Moon, Saturday, signals a major romp in nature. Or the hay.

TAURUSEmotions bubble to the surface, with the Moon and Jupiter in Taurus at the top of the week. You seek to avoid aggravation at all costs, but people-pleasing reads as patronizing to those who sense that your investment isn’t heartfelt. You are ready for a breakthrough. But it entails giving a rest to career shticks that are becoming stale. Admirers want something new from you. Your schedule is packed, but busy doesn’t equal successful. With Mercury entering Virgo, Thursday, you must eliminate an excess quantity of engagements and devote more to quality ones. The New Moon, on Saturday, makes you long for lost love.

GEMINITo say Gemini can be controversial is an understatement. Twins like the feel, shall we say, of opposing forces. You make the closest friends, and you do like your enemies. But the Gemini Moon conjunct pugnacious Mars, Wednesday, means sparring with favorite rivals can escalate into all-out war. And with Venus in Leo, Thursday, a harmless love triangle you concocted “just for fun” can be mistaken for something serious, necessitating real confrontation. There is a lesson: Not everyone shares your sitcom life view wherein conniving villains are forgiven, found to have hearts of gold, in the span of half an hour.

CANCERThis is a seemingly selfless week, when you devote resources and energy to helping others. And, with Venus now unaspected in Cancer, it looks like you’ll do so, behind the scenes, without seeking credit. Indeed, you eschew it. What you might find is: Selfless acts are, paradoxically, actually quite selfish to perform, in that you never feel better than when you’re helping those in need. It’s an indulgence we condone. And one you will make a mainstay in your life. A Mars-Neptune connection, from Tuesday, inspires higher learning or travel that, even if work-related at the outset, nonetheless nurtures, spiritually.

LEOYou are acutely aware of situations in which you feel, frankly, shafted. And you’ll be darned if you’ll sit idly by and let others eat your lunch. Mercury in Leo provides a (perhaps secret?) pipeline for keeping tabs on those showing you just one of their two faces. Thursday, situations come to a head. Venus enters your sign, endowing you with diplomatic energy. While the moody Cancer Moon activates two T-squares, causing a surplus of solicitation for your involvement in a deal—but do not collude or collaborate. With the New Leo Moon, Saturday, you enjoy total autonomy, leaving detractors in the dust.

VIRGOThere is benefit in not having all the answers, even feigning a sort of naïveté. On the work front, being an intuitive listener is worlds more valued than playing a fix-it role. Mercury, nigh on entering Virgo, opposing Neptune, says to keep your own counsel and mine internal resources for guidance in your personal life. Check delusions. Signs show you may feel like a victim of love when, in fact, you are the perp. Venus unaspected now has strange effects. You may discover true feelings for someone you considered a casual fling. Or maybe you realize the long-term commitment you’re in isn’t really a forever thing.

LIBRAHorizons expand as you put visionary ideas into solid action. Now is the precise moment to ask for help or money for new enterprises. Venus is fancy free, casting her charm on whatever endeavor you seek to realize. The road you’re on is the one less traveled, but you’re rewarded for trailblazing in your career and creative endeavors. Venus conjuncts the Sun, Wednesday, heating things up romantically, even mixing business with flat-out getting busy. Saturn square the Moon, Thursday, might invite hostility. Take nothing personally. Find compassion. People are frustrated that they’re not as self-actualized as you.

SCORPIOCut back on excess to ensure further growth. With the Moon and Jupiter opposing your natal Sun, weed out extra work, curb spending, and limit social interaction. (It’s a weekly horoscope. Not forever.) Mars trine Neptune, from Tuesday, says: Be as free as possible. You shouldn’t even be beholden to the list of books you’d like to read. A lot of nothing is the most productive thing to do. The cosmos doesn’t want you preoccupied. It prefers that uncomfortable feelings surface, so you’ll at least know what it is you’re repressing. The New Moon, Saturday, makes you psychedelically aware of the banalities you must transcend.

SAGITTARIUSThere’s a need for integration, bringing the myriad moving parts of your life into a more cohesive system. Unaspected Mars, opposing your Sun, means a lot of putting out fires until Tuesday, when Neptune diffuses Mars’ reactionary energy. Fulfillment in your personal life requires being more magnetic, stepping back to gain big-picture perspectives on family and friendly dynamics, so to master your emotions. On the other hand, Pluto trine Jupiter insists you specialize more in career, putting your fiery spirit into pursuing specific goals, instead of being a human dream-catcher, grabbing whatever blows your way.

CAPRICORNBe grateful for Pluto’s process of elimination in your sign. Jupiter, trining your native Sun, says that abundance is now measured in booming creativity, a growing circle of friends, and a new epoch of increased romance—whether via one relationship or a string of important love affairs. Though you have been doing with fewer material trappings, and are happier for it, you might admit that you’ve intended on eventually crawling into the largest lap of luxury you can find. But your thinking changes this week. And by the New Moon, on Saturday, you don’t want things at all. You crave experience.

AQUARIUSThe stars really align for you the most, this week, Aquarius. As confident and charismatic as you are, you might admit you’ve felt a bit like a second banana in your relationship or in a business partnership, or both. And actually it has made you increasingly grabby for the spotlight. Now, with Venus opposing your sign, you are happily more symbiotic in your bonds, while others ubiquitously consider you the social and professional flavor of the moment. Midweek, ruler Uranus squares off with several planets as you confront would-be problems and setbacks with compromise solutions and secret passageways to progress.

PISCESWith ruler Neptune in cahoots with rapacious Mars, you feel bogged down by obligation and seek the easy way, if not total oblivion from responsibility. And we could lecture on how shortcuts don’t allow for character building. Or why powering through will make future challenges more cakey to accomplish. But we’ll spare you that. What we will say is that by seeking to sidestep what life is serving, you rob yourself of the serendipity that now awaits at every step. But by accepting what it hands you, you’ll receive the magic in the so-called mundane minutiae. The New Moon, Saturday, makes daily life far less a grind.